Promise
by Punch Drunk Marc
Summary: "After what happened that night, where do we stand? Can you tell me how you feel about me? You made me promise something once...can you do the same thing for me? There is something I want you to know..." Sequel to "Warmed Blade" (suggest you read that before this one). NaZa story.
1. The Next Day

**I do not own Fairy Tail or any of it's characters. They are a property of Hiro Mashima & his publishers.**

* * *

Erza awoke in her bed the next morning, the sun breaking through her blinds and shining on her face. She rubbed her fingers across her face, stopping at her lips. She thought about the kiss she & Natsu shared the night before and blushed. Nervous, she began to roll over in her bed numerous times.

_What is wrong with me? Why do I feel this way?_

She couldn't figure it out. When she thought of Natsu she stomach grew uneasy, but it wasn't a bad feeling. It had been years since she felt this way about anyone. Sure she loved everyone in Fairy Tail, but Natsu was something…different. It kind of scared her.

"Agh! What am I doing? I have to get ready and head to the guild hall." She hopped out of bed and got into the shower, all the while replaying the date in her mind. An hour or so later, Erza had emerged from her home and started to make her way towards the Fairy Tail.

When she arrived at the guild, she was surprised to see that Natsu was nowhere to be seen. She then decided to make way to the bar to ask Mira if she had seen him, although she was a bit apprehensive.

Mirajane saw the slightly sad look on her friend's face and spoke before Erza had even arrived at the bar. "Morning Erza," she said with a gentle smile "looking for Natsu?" her smile changing to a mischievous smirk.

Erza's face turned bright red as Mira question reached her ears. She opened her mouth, but the words just stumbled out. "N…n…no…no. Of course not! W…why would I be doing that?" She tried to deny Mira's question by shaking her head fervently in disagreement; but her blood red cheeks gave Mira all the answers she needed.

Mira smiled at Erza softly, "He went on a job with Lucy, Gajeel, & Wendy."

Erza looked at Mira with a confused look on her face, "Huh? Why did Wendy & Gajeel go with them? Why not Gray?" Mira stopped cleaning the glass she was holding and placed her index finger on her chin as she began to think.

"I don't know for sure. I think it was something about needing the help of Dragon slayers, and as for Gray; He and Juvia went on a job with Elfman & Lisanna."

Hearing that Natsu and the others went on a job without her upset Erza a bit, and a saddened look began to appear on her face.

"Why did they go without me?" she muttered under breath.

"Well, Natsu said you were pretty tired from last night. So he told everyone to not bother you."

Erza's eyes widened in surprise. _Natsu didn't want anyone to bother me?_ She smiled to herself as she thought this. Natsu had thought of her.

She sat at the bar for a couple of hours, waiting for Natsu and her friends to return. The minutes began to pass slower and slower, she had never been so bored before. She chatted with Mira for a while, talked to the master about the new S Class jobs, and soon she found herself sitting at table, opposite from Laxus. As she sat down, she began to stare at the guild hall doors.

"Hey Erza what's eaten ya?" Laxus inquired as he sipped his mug of beer.

"Nothing. What are you talking about?"

"I'm just sayin you look a little distracted."

"How I look is none of your concern Laxus." She said to him coldly

Laxus was taken a bit aback by her stern statement, "Whoa, calm down; no need to be all hostile." He finished his beer and held his mug in the air.

"Hey Mira! Another beer please."

"Coming right up." Mira turned around to fill another mug.

Erza stayed fixed in her chair, staring a hole into the guild doors.

_Where are they? The master said it was an easy job, they should have been back by now. What if…_

She then caught a hold of herself. _What am I saying?_ _Natsu & the others can take care of themselves. I need to stop worrying._

Mira brought the cold beverage to where Laxus & Erza sat. "Here you are Laxus, another cold one for you."

Laxus took the mug and placed it to his lips, the golden brown drink sliding smoothly down his throat. He let out a sigh of ecstasy, "Ahh, thanks Mira. Damn, that's good. Want some Erza?"

He held his mug up to her. She looked at him for a split second before turning her attention back to the door. Laxus simply shrugged his shoulders and brought the mug back towards himself. "Suit yourself." He once again drank from the mug.

"You still worried about Natsu?" Mira said casually, Erza almost falling out of her chair in surprise. She quickly composed herself and replied to Mira's question.

"No…I am not worried about Natsu, he can take care of himself."

"Really? Because your cheeks are red again." Erza frantically covered her cheeks with her hands trying to hide her blush. Mira gave Erza a sly smirk and strolled back to the bar.

Erza sternly watched Mira walk back to the bar. She then turned back around, once again focusing on the door.

Laxus, who had just witnessed the ladies' show, started to chuckle at Erza's expense.

"So, you have the hots for Natsu huh?" He asked mockingly

Erza angrily turned towards Laxus, but the moment's intensity started to fade as she still had her hands pressed on her cheeks.

"Whoa now." Laxus waved his hands trying to calm Erza down, but he still couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "I'm not making fun of ya. I'm just a little surprised is all."

"What are you going on about?"

"Well…" Laxus stopped briefly to take another sip of his beer. "I just thought you would go for someone more…manly, I don't know. Someone like Elfman or hell, me." He chuckled some more as the thought of him and Erza dating crossed his mind.

Erza however, was not amused by Laxus' comments. "Not that it is any of your business, but yes…I do have feelings for Natsu…I think." She looked down at the ground, unsure of herself.

"What do you mean you think?" Laxus' question caused Erza to look up from the ground at him.

"You either like him or you don't. Does he like you?"

There was a deafening silence between the two as Erza pondered Laxus' question. She thought of their day together yesterday. For her, it was easily one of the happiest days she ever had. She thought of the picnic, the fight, and…the kiss. She once again placed her fingers on her lips when she thought of that.

She could still feel the warmth of his lips on hers. It had left a lasting effect on her. However she still didn't know how Natsu felt about her, at least not fully. Natsu, being as innocent as he is never thought of things like "relationships" or "love".

After a few moments of silence, she answered Laxus, albeit it hesitantly. "I don't know. Natsu is…complicated."

"Ha! If by complicated you mean rock stupid. He's not a hard one to read, you just have to confront him head on and you'll get what you're lookin for." He took another sip of his beer. "That's the thing about that kid, he may not be the smartest member of Fairy Tail, but you can always count on him to be honest." He winked at Erza and smiled at her.

Erza sat perplexed at Laxus' words. She hadn't heard speak like that in a long time. It was actually quite refreshing. She smiled back at him for a split second before she caught herself and turned around again, faking an attitude towards him. Laxus could see that he had gotten through to her. Content, he stood up from the table and walked towards the bar.

_Idiot, he didn't have to tell me that. I already knew Natsu's nature, but he is right, I just have to confront Natsu head on. So I can get a… _She thought of the kiss again. _Focus Erza! When Natsu comes back, you have to tell him how you feel._

She looked towards the door again with a look of her resolve in her eye.

An hour after this, the door opened. Erza nearly jumped out of her seat, but she managed to compose herself. She stood up, ready to walk up to Natsu and tell her how she felt…but what she saw on the other side of the doorway horrified her.

It was Gajeel. He was bloodied, bruised and beaten. A cut above his eye bled profusely, and his shirt was all but torn and ripped, but there was something even more shocking in his arms. In the man's arms lie Lucy, clutching her keys as her near lifeless, brusied, and broken body was draped in Gajeel's arms.

As he dropped to his knees in exhaustion, something appeared from behind his back. Wendy soon came into view, the young girl was also covered in cuts as Carla struggled to pull her limp form into the guild hall. Erza could do nothing but stare in shock and horror as she saw her friends at death's door.

However, as she walked towards her friends, she widened her eyes in terror as she noticed something even more horrifying than her friend's broken bodies…

Natsu…did not come back with them.

…

* * *

**Well here is the start of the sequel to "Warmed Blade" let me know what you guys think. :)**


	2. Desperation

The guild was in complete chaos. Not only was Lucy unconscious, but two Dragon Slayers were managed to be taken down. Some were shocked, others horrified, and others like Laxus, were livid.

"Gajeel!" Levy ran to him and tried to lift him from the ground, but he was too heavy for him to carry on her own. She looked back at Jet & Droy who were standing a bit away from her, tears were streaming down from her face.

"Don't just stand there you guys…help me!" this shocked Jet & Droy back to reality and they rushed to Levy's side, placing each of Gajeel's arms on her shoulders and lying him down on a nearby table. Mirajane rushed from behind the bar and picked Wendy, placing her next to Gajeel, Carla followed the two, trying to keep the tears from coming out further.

Erza began to move towards Lucy, but she was cut off by Laxus. He moved passed her and picked up Lucy, placing her next to Wendy. He looked at the three and clenched his fist in rage, and lightning began to spark from it.

"Who…Who the hell did this?!" He yelled in anger.

Erza moved to the table where her 3 friends lie. She thought of Natsu & where he could be…but she knew she had to secure these 3's safety 1st.

Gray & the others came in the door shortly after, smiling and talking of their recently completed job. That all stopped as soon as they saw the crowd around the table.

Gray forced his way to the front, "Hey guys what's going on what hap…" he was made speechless when he reached the front, seeing his friend's motionless bodies. Juvia & the others soon joined him, they too were shocked speechless by what they saw.

Elfman spoke 1st "What the hell happened to them?"

Lisanna stood next to her brother, holding his arm tightly. Juvia stood next to Gray and stood horrified as she saw Gajeel, her only friend in Phantom Lord barely hanging to life. She covered her mouth as she began to sob.

Scattered chatter could be heard theoughout Fairy Tail, all of it speculation as to what happened to three of the strongest guild members.

"You think it was a Dark Guild?"

"Had to be, but who could be strong enough to take out these guys?"

"They look bad."

"Wait weren't there 5 of them? Where are Happy and Nat…"

BAM!

Everyone was startled by the loud sound and turned around to see what happened. They all saw Erza heading towards the doors, a hole in the table she was standing next to. Mira ran after her.

"Erza where are you going?" Mira grabbed Erza's arm in an attempt to stop her, but Erza fiercely pulled away.

"I have to find them Mira. Happy & Natsu are still out there, I have to bring them back."

Mira protested, "But you have no idea where they are, and with Lucy & the others unconscious we have no idea what happened to them."

"She's right Erza." Gray walked towards her "You have to calm down, we all want to find them," Erza turned around to look at Gray and she could see the anger and concern on his face. "but we can't rush off without a plan. We might end up like them." She could see Gray cared as well, but she couldn't stand by and do nothing.

She turned back around and continued to walk to the door. Mira & Gray called after her, but she no longer heard their words. However, a voice was able to stop her advance.

"Stop right there Erza, you're not going anywhere." She turned around to see that Master Makarov had come from upstairs.

"But, Master…"

"No, buts Erza. I know you want to rescue them, but we have no idea what even happened to them. If you go now, you may make things worse."

She clenched her fist in anger…but in the end she knew he was right. She loosed her fist, and looked down and shook with desperation and rage.

_Natsu…_

Everyone looked sadly at Erza, and they felt the same way; but nothing could be done until Gajeel & the others awoke. Just then a faint voice could be heard from outside.

"E…Erza."

Erza immediately turned her attention to the door and saw something flying to her. As it came into view she saw that it was…Happy.

"HAPPY!" She ran outside in a hurry, catching the blue cat as he fell out of the sky and into her arms. She brought him to the table where the others were, they grew even more concerned.

"Happy?" Mira managed to barely say his name as she covered her mouth in disbelief.

Happy started to stir and reached out his tiny hand to Erza. "Er…za. You…have to find him….help him. Natsu is…"

"Happy? What do you mean? Where is Natsu?!" She tried to get answers but to no avail, Happy had already fallen back into unconsciousness. She looked at her friend and handed him to Lisanna. She then walked to the back of the guild hall, her fists clenched in a quiet rage.

As Levy and the others watched her walk away, Levy could see the concern that flooded over Erza's body, she felt the same way about Gajeel.

Erza reached the back of the hall and punched the wall hard, almost taking the entire wall down.

"AHHHH, DAMMIT!"

She then slid down to her knees in desperation.

_Natsu, where are you? _

…

* * *

**Part 2 is done. let me know what you guys think. :)**


	3. The Decision

The day turned to night as Lucy, Gajeel, Wendy, & Happy were placed in rooms inside the guild to recuperate. No one went home, it didn't feel right; leaving them alone in the state they were in…didn't sit well with anyone.

Levy stayed with Gajeel, Mira & Carla with Wendy, and Erza stayed with Lucy & Happy. She didn't sleep, she couldn't, all she could think about was her friends, but mostly she thought of Natsu.

_What happened to him? Where is he? Is he ok? Is he…_

She slapped herself in the face, hard. _What is wrong with you? You should never underestimate him. He's ok…he has to be._

The silence in the room began to stifle her as her thoughts continued to fly around in the air. Soon she couldn't take it and headed outside to get some fresh air. When she reached the balcony however she was surprised to see that Gray was standing there.

She thought about joining him…but hesitated. She began to turn around and go back to the room but then…

"I know you're there Erza, you can stop hiding."

Erza knew she was caught, she couldn't even deny it. She came out to the balcony and stood next to Gray.

"You couldn't sleep either?" she asked him.

"No, I was too busy calming down Juvia. She just went to sleep about an hour ago. Seeing Gajeel like that really tore her up, he was basically the only friend she had at Phantom Lord." Gray clenched his fist as he thought of Juvia crying. "When I find the guys that did this…"

Erza smiled at her friend and looked at the stars above them.

"You really care about Juvia don't you?"

Gray blushed slightly, "What? I mean…yeah we're friends. I would do the same for anybody in Fairy Tail."

Erza giggled to herself, she started to feel better as she and Gray talked to one another as the night rolled on. After a few hours, Gray began to walk into the guild hall.

"Well, I'm going to try and get some rest. Hopefully the guys will feel better tomorrow."

Erza nodded in agreement, "Yes, I'm sure they will."

Gray made it to the door before stopping. "Don't worry Erza…we'll find him."

She nodded again, "I know we will. Thank you Gray."

Gray simply waived his hand in the air, as if saying you're welcome and he went back downstairs.

Erza decided to stay outside a little bit longer before going back to Lucy & Happy's room.

…

The morning came and Erza awoke in a chair back in Lucy & Happy's room. She stood up and walked to Lucy's bedside. Erza was slightly startled when Lucy began to stir.

"Mmmm…" she opened her eyes slightly, "Erza? Where am I?" She looked around the room, "Am I back at Fairy Tail?"

Erza smiled softly and kneeled next to Lucy's bed, rubbing her forehead. "Yes, you're back. I'm glad you're awake."

Lucy smiled back at Erza and looked to her left, catching a glimpse of Happy in the bed next to her.

"Happy…" she said weakly

"Don't worry." Erza looked behind her at Happy, sure enough the little cat was snoring and talking in his sleep.

"mmm…fisssh. You want some Car…la?" he continued to mumble in between snores.

"He's fine." Erza looked back at Lucy, reassuring her.

"That's good." Lucy relaxed herself, "How did I get here? I don't remember much."

"Gajeel brought you & Wendy back, you three were gravely injured."

"Oh yea…I remember now, we were coming back from our job and…"

BAM!

Erza & Lucy heard the sound in their room, the fromer standing up in a hurry. Lucy tried to get up, but Erza made her lie back down. "Don't worry, I'll see what happened. You just get some rest."

"…alright." Lucy said reluctantly as she lie in her bed.

Erza opened the door and saw Gajeel, still heavily bandaged, trying to leave his room; but Levy, Jet, & Droy were holding him back.

"Come on man you need to rest." Jet said pulling him back

"Yeah you have to calm down." Droy also pulling the Iron dragon back

"Gajeel please," Levy pleaded "You have to get your rest, you're still not better. You're fever will return."

Gajeel protested angrily, "I don't give a damn about me, I have to go back. I gotta go back for Salamander!"

Erza's eyes widened in shock and she made a beeline for the commotion.

Levy continued to hold Gajeel back, her shoulder pressing against his stomach. Suddenly he stopped. Levy opened her eyes and looked up to see that Erza had appeared in front of Gajeel, her armored hand on his chest.

"Gajeel, you need to rest." Levy heard Erza's stern words, but she could tell that she was shaking as she said them.

Gajeel tried to protest, but as he saw the fire in Erza's eyes, he knew it was a battle he couldn't win. "Tch. Dammit." He relented and let Levy walk him back to his bed, Erza following them in as Jet & Droy walked back downstairs.

After he settled back in bed, Erza asked the question that had been burning in her mind since she heard the commotion. "Gajeel, what happened to Natsu?"

The three of them sat in an uncomfortable silence for what seemed like hours, but Erza didn't let up. She sat in a chair across from Gajeel & Levy. Her arms folded & her legs crossed, her left leg over her right. Finally Gajeel spoke up.

"We were on our way back from our job. All of us spent from using too much of our energy. We were cutting through a forest a few miles outside of Magnolia…when we were attacked."

"Attacked by who?" Erza asked sternly

Levy tried to ease the tension "Erza…" Gajeel held his arm in front of her and continued talking. "I don't know who it was, probably some random Dark Guild. All I know is that there were hundreds of them, normally we could have took them no problem, but the condition we were in; anyone could have took us out." Gajeel clenched his fist in anger as he thought about what happened.

"We fought as long as we could but the numbers started to catch up to us. Soon we were running through the forest just trying to survive long enough to get back."

Erza sat in her chair and squeezed her left bicep impatiently as she listened to Gajeel. "What, happened, to Natsu?"

Gajeel looked at her face and then looked down, continuing to clench his fist. "We hid behind some trees for cover. Lucy was knocked out & Wendy was barely hanging on. Salamander looked at me and then he told me to take the girls and run….then he ran out to face those guys."

Erza stood up from her chair enraged after hearing these words. The chair flew across the room as she stared a hole into Gajeel.

"AND YOU JUST LET HIM GO?!" she said in a rage as she grabbed Gajeel by the arm.

Her voice could be heard from downstairs, Gray was the 1st to rush up.

"What the hell was I supposed to do?!" he yelled back at her, "I didn't want to leave him there but before I could say anything the idiot ran off and lit the trees in front of us on fire. Lucy & Wendy were injured, I had no choice!"

"YOU HAD A CHOICE!" she said her voice slightly quaking, "And you chose to be a coward! Now Natsu is out there on his own and he could be hurt or…" the two continued to stare at each other with rage filling their eyes.

Levy tried to break the two up.

"Gajeel, Erza, please. You two have to calm down. It's no one's fault what happened to Natsu. We'll find him, but we can't help him if you two are at each other's throats." She tried to pull them apart but to no avail.

Gray burst into the room. "What happened? I heard yelling and…" He saw Erza as she had a firm grip on Gajeel's arm.

"Erza what are you doing?"

"It's HIS fault he left Natsu there by himself…he could have helped him."

"Erza stop. I don't know what happened but I know Gajeel wouldn't leave Natsu on his own like that, no one would. We will go after him, but you have to calm down." He placed his hand on Erza's shoulder, and she began to calm down, loosening her grip on Gajeel.

His arm slipped from her hand and she looked down at him, ashamed at her outburst. "I…I'm sorry Gajeel. I…don't know what came over me, you made the right decision. I'm sorry." She walked out of the room sullenly, Gray following after her.

Gajeel reset himself in his bed and looked out the door.

"I'm sorry Gajeel, Erza didn't mean it. She's just worried about Natsu."

"I know, you don't gotta apologize. Dammit!" He punched the wall next to his bed "I should have stayed and helped him."

Gray walked with Erza back to where Lucy & Happy were and the two sat down by Lucy's bedside.

"Erza, please don't blame Gajeel for what happened. He did the best he could." Lucy said as she placed her hand on Erza's lap. This caused Erza to smile a little as she looked up at Lucy.

"So what are we going to do now?" Gray asked them.

"We're going to find Natsu." Erza said with a look of resolve in her eye.

"What? But we don't even know where he is." Gray began to protest.

"I do." A small voice said from behind them.

They turned around to see Happy standing up in his bed.

"I was with Natsu when those guys took him. I know where he is."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Erza stood up from her chair, grabbed Happy and walked towards the door. "Let's go find him."

"Wait Erza!" Gray called after her, "We don't know what we're dealing with. We don't how strong these guys are. I know you want save him but…"

"Gray!" Erza yelled his name, startling him "I don't care what the odds are, I've left him alone for too long. I'm not waiting anymore." She made her way to the door but Lucy stopped her.

"Wait, I'll come to." Lucy tried to get out of her bed but Gray stopped her

"No, you and the others stay here and get you're rest. We can handle this."

Lucy protested, "But…"

"He's right Lucy." Erza calmly said to her "You 3 need to stay and get your rest. We will bring him home."

Lucy could hear the confidence in her voice and smiled, "Alright I'll stay, but don't come back without him ok?"

Erza turned to her and smiled "I didn't intend to."

The three walked out of the room as Lucy sat in her bed and thought silently to herself,

_Erza you really… _

After a few minutes of preparation, the team of Erza, Gray, Juvia, & Laxus were ready to head out.

"Are you ready?" Erza asked the group sternly.

"Aye!" Happy exclaimed

"Yeah." Gray said confidently

"Yes, this is for Gajeel & the others." Juvia said as she held the pendant around her neck

"Time to show these punks what happens when you mess with Fairy Tail." Laxus chimed in as lightning circulated around his clenched fists.

"Alright then." Erza said as she turned towards the open doors. She looked out to the horizon with a look of fierce hope in her eyes.

_Don't worry Natsu…we're coming to save you._

…

* * *

**Part 3, is up. thoughts? :)**


	4. Rescue

In a rundown guild hall on the outskirts of Magnolia, a celebration is going on. Hundreds of wizards are pouring drinks, eating, and singing songs of victory. There rambunctious behavior could be heard throughout the forest. Scattered chatter and laughter could be heard in the halls.

"Man, I can't believe how easy that was." Said one of the wizards as he chewed on a huge chicken leg

"Yeah, I know, those Fairy Tail wizards aren't so tough."

"We even caught a Dragon Slayer. The other Dark Guilds will start taking us seriously now. HA HA!"

The celebration continued on downstairs as the wizards continued to sing and fall over each other in their drunken stupor. But not all in the hall was rowdy.

Upstairs in a semi lit room, a man lied chained. His arms extending towards opposite ends of his prison. He had been locked up for 2 days, but he still struggled to break free of his captors. No longer able to stand any longer he fell to his knees in exhaustion, his body covered in cuts and bruises.

"Man, how am I gonna get out of this?"

He continued to think of a way out, but his concentration was broken by one of his captors, who had come to his door.

"Maybe you should eat something." He said to him mockingly

"We wouldn't want you dying on us on the way to meet up with the other guilds…Salamander."

The man looked up at the bars in the door, a look of determination in his eye.

"I won't be here for long buddy." He said smirking, his pink hair shining in the sunlight.

"Because if I don't find a way out of here, I know that my friends will find me."

The man stood back intimidated, but he tried to hide it by giving a small threat. "Y…you mean those weak Fairy Tail wizards? HA! We beat up your friends earlier, that's how you were captured. They would be stupid to come here, & if they are we'll beat them again." The "jailer" walked back down stairs laughing aloud.

When he heard the laughter no longer, Natsu managed to stand again and turned his head towards the window behind him.

_No, I know they'll find me. Happy never lets me down…and if I know anything else, she will come too. _

…

Erza and the others began trekking their way through the woods, Happy leading the way.

"Which way is it Happy?" Gray asked

Happy continued to walk as he pointed his claws ahead of him, "it's over there, just past those trees."

"Alright." Erza continued to look determined as she pulled out her sword, ready to rush at a moment's notice.

They reached a hill and looked down at their target.

"Is that their Guild Hall? It looks positively disgusting." Juvia said to the group

"Feh, they are probably some punks who just got lucky." Laxus said annoyed

Erza continued looking at the disheveled locale, "That may be the case, but remember they have Natsu. Rescuing him is top priority, so be on your guard."

"Right." Her four companions chimed in unison.

The wind began to blow through the trees, as the 5 of them stood atop the hill.

"Let's Go!" Erza yelled as the 5 of them rushed down the hill towards the guild hall.

The wizards inside the hall continued to celebrate, but their party was going to be cut all too short. Slowly, they started to hear sounds of rushing water.

"Hey did someone leave the sink running?"

"No I don't think…"

FLASH!

Suddenly a huge torrent of water blew down their guild hall doors. The rogues looked at the new hole in the wall with astonishment and fear as they saw four figures standing in the doorway.

"Hey! Who the hell are you guys? You have some nerve messing with…" His friend suddenly garbed him cutting him off.

"Hey, what the…" he protested but his friend once again cut him off

"You idiot, do you now know who that is?" He said pointing to Erza.

"That's Titania Erza, one of the strongest wizards in the world."

The man opened his eyes in astonishment, "That's Titania?" he began to shake a bit. Scattered comments could be heard across the rest of the hall as they identified the rest of the Fairy Tail Mages.

"That's Juvia, one Phantom's Element 4; why is she in Fairy Tail?"

"Isn't that one of Ur's students? Gray Fullbuster?"

"Oh man, its Laxus. Makarov's grandson, I heard he has one helluva temper."

"Hey, isn't that that cat that was with Salamander? How the hell did he escape?"

The dark mages stood scared, shaking, if Juvia's water wasn't covering them; you could see the outlines on their pants when they peed themselves.

Erza and her team stood silent, they knew the time for talking was long past. They were here to find Natsu, but they wouldn't leave without also sending a message either.

One of the dark mages, still, shaking grabbed a sword. "What you guys so scared of? There's only 5 of them, let's show them what happens when you mess with the Night Shade guild." He held his sword up in the air, causing the rest of his guild to get riled up in agreement.

They ran at the Fairy Tail wizards, ready for battle; but Erza & the others stood unfazed.

"Erza, go with Happy & find Natsu. We can handle these guys." Gray said as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

Erza looked back and nodded her head. "Alright, I'll leave them to you, but not before taking some of them myself."

Erza began to glow yellow as Night Shade continued to approach

"Re-Quip"

In a flash, she was brandishing twin katanas, a red hakama with flame patterns at the bottom, and her hair tied in a long ponytail.

As they ran at them the dark mages scoffed, "Ha! So that's the Great Erza? That's not even armor."

Suddenly she appeared in the forefront of their advance. Startling them.

'What the hell? She's so fast."

She cut a path right down the middle of them, her attacks fast, visceral, yet graceful. Not a single move was wasted as she made her way from the front to back, her destination being the stairs. She made her way and proceeded to run up with Happy flying behind, some of the mages following them in hot pursuit.

Their leader started to give orders, "Don't let her find Salaman…" he stopped as an iced fist smashed against his face, sending flying into the back wall. Surprised the advanced stopped and the rest of the group looked forward.

Gray cracked his knuckles and smirked, "You guys should be more worried about us."

Juvia stared at Gray with a loving look in her eyes.

_Oh my beloved Gray you are so cool…_

"Yea." Laxus chimed in, "You bastards are going to pay for what you did to our friends." He said with a sly smirk

The three rushed the huge group, each of the dark mages fearing what was to come.

Erza & happy made their way upstairs and began searching for Natsu.

"Where is he Happy?" she asked as she ran down the long hall

"He should be in the last room on the left. We're almost there."

Happy flew behind Erza and looked behind them, he was startled to see the dark mages following them.

"Um…Erza, we have some company." He said frightened

Erza turned around and stared the advancing group down, tightening the grip on her blades. She then ran at them in a flash, cutting through each of them as swiftly as the last. When she had finished, the men laid defeated on the floor all of them unconscious. Erza then turned around and continued following Happy.

…

Natsu had heard the commotion outside but he stayed content. He knew what was going on, and he smiled.

_I knew they would come. Good job Happy._

As he waited in his cell, he heard a voice calling his name.

"Natsu! Natsu! Are you alright?"

_Erza?_

He wanted to call out, but he barely had the strength to talk. The call sounded closer this time, he looked up and saw Erza standing at the door, slowly misting her eyes.

He smiled at her as she sliced open the door. She then sliced the chains holding and grabbed him as his arms fell to his sides. Happy, seeing that his best friends was alright began to cry.

"Oh, Natsu…I'm so happy you're ok."

Natsu looked at his cat and smiled, "Good job, Happy." He said weakly

Erza so relieved that Natsu was finally safe, held his head against her chest tight. Her tears falling onto his head.

"Natsu, thank goodness you're safe." She stood up and draped Natsu's arm over her shoulders as she propped him up. The three of them walked out of the door and made their way down the hall. As they made their way down the stairs, they saw an amazing sight.

The floor was completely iced, no doubt do to Gray's Ice make magic. Laxus stood in the doorway with his back turned to the others, and Juvia sat back to back with Gray as they sat atop a giant ice hill that he created. All of the dark mages were either unconscious or inside Gray & Juvia's creations.

Erza smiled and looked at her friends as she brought Natsu downstairs. Gray & the others turned and looked at her and Natsu, all of them smirking with the satisfaction that their friend was safe. They all walked to the door of the Night Shade guild hall.

Natsu looked at his friends and smiled, "What took you so long Gray?" he said weakly smiling at his friend.

Gray smirked back at him, "Shut up you idiot, you're lucky we came at all."

Natsu began to chuckle but Erza quieted him down. "Save your strength Natsu, we're going back home."

The 6 wizards then headed out the door, making their way home to Fairy Tail.

…

They reached Magnolia and made their way to the guild hall doors. As they opened them, everyone inside began to cheer excitedly.

"Yeah, Natsu's back!"

"Thank goodness, they all came back safe."

"Welcome back." Mira said as she approached them, her eyes misty.

Gajeel, Lucy, & Wendy were downstairs as well, they too smiling at the return of their friends

Erza simply looked at her group, smiled at all of her friends in Fairy Tail and the walked inside the guild, happy & relieved that Natsu was finally home.

…

* * *

**Part 4, i don't whether to add two more chapters or just one. But I am starting work on chapter 5. thoughts? :) I know the Dark Guild guys weren't real strong, but they weren't really meant to be. it was more of a "they got lucky" scenario. lol  
**


	5. Promise

After celebrating, everyone decided to go home; all of them content that Natsu & the others were safe. Erza headed upstairs towards Natsu's room, but Gray called to her, catching her attention. She turned around to see that Gray & Juvia were at the bottom of the stairs.

"You going to check on Natsu again?" he asked her with a smirk, this would have been the 4th time Erza checked on Natsu.

She looked at them, smiled, and blushed slightly, "Yes. I think I'm going to stay with him until he wakes up."

"Aww." Juvia chimed in, "Love is a beautiful thing right Gray?" she looked at him, her eyes wide.

Gray blushed a bit and scratched the back of his head, "Yea…I guess."

"Good luck Erza." Juvia said smiling wide, she then pulled Gray's arm as she began to walk out of the door, "Come on Gray let's go."

"Alright alright quit pulling. See you tomorrow Erza."

Erza waved at her friends as she watched them walk out of the door, when they were no longer in sight, she continued upstairs. She reached Natsu's door and knocked.

"Natsu, are you awake?" she heard no answer. She saw that the door was unlocked & slowly opened it, slowly inching her head inside the space between the door & wall. "Natsu?"

She looked inside to see him sleeping peacefully in his bed, nearly covered from head to toe in bandages. She smiled softly at the scene before her and quietly walked inside so as to not wake him.

She pulled a chair to his bedside and watched him sleep. She couldn't help but smile as she saw him lying there so calm and quiet. As she continued to watch him, she started to grow sad. She clenched her fists as they lie on her thighs in her chair.

_2 days…you were gone for 2 days Natsu. It's my fault…I shouldn't have let you guys alone, If had been there that day, you wouldn't be like this…_

She sobbed to herself, cursing herself for allowing Natsu to get hurt. As she continued to cry, Natsu began stirring in his bed. Hearing the sad noises he turned his head and looked at Erza.

"Erza? Why are you crying?"

She noticed Natsu and hurriedly tried to wipe the tears from her face.

"Oh…Natsu, it's…it's nothing." She said hesitantly, still wiping her face.

"Well if it's nothing, why cry about it?" He said as he sat himself up smiling, his trademark smile.

Seeing this caused Erza to stop crying and she smiled back at him. "You're right." She said agreeing with him. "How are you feeling?"

"Me? I feel better already." He tried to swing his arm around, but the pain caused him to yell. Erza simply sat and laughed at him, she was glad that Natsu was back to his usual self.

"Yeah, as soon as I'm better I'll be able to take those guys on again."

Erza immediately stopped laughing and looked at Natsu with a slightly irritated look.

"What?"

"Yeah, after I get out of here, I'll track them down and show them what happens when you mess with me."

Erza sat and stared at Natsu as he continued to go on talking about fighting more and more.

_Idiot, I know Natsu is usually so energetic but…he almost died. How can he talk about it so casually?_

"I'll go on my own next time. See just how much I can manage on my own."

Erza stood up in anger, she had heard enough. With a quick but powerful motion, she slapped Natsu across the face

SMACK!

The cringe worthy sound echoing through the empty guild hall.

"OWWW!" Natsu grabbed his face in pain and looked up at Erza, whose face was filled with annoyance & anger at Natsu's words.

"What did you do that for Erza?!"

"You IDIOT!" she yelled at him, Natsu instantly ceasing any further comments as he listened to Erza's words.

"You were gone for 2 whole days. No one had any idea where you were. We were all worried about you. I…" she stopped that sentence cold and started another one "How can you just sit there, and be so calm about this?"

Natsu looked back at Erza, he removed his hands from his face. "Erza, what I do…is none of your concern."

Erza opened her eyes in shock, she couldn't believe what Natsu had just said to her.

_Is that really how he feels? After everything we've been through together? After we…_ she thought of their kiss again, this only enraged her more, she felt so…betrayed.

She stared at Natsu one last time, her eyes slightly misty and walked out the door, slamming it behind her.

Natsu simply crossed his arms and lied back down. His face twisted in annoyance at what Erza said.

"Who does she think she is? My mom?"

"No, she just cares about you."

Natsu sat up and looked at the door, there Master Makarov stood. He entered the room and stood next to Natsu's bedside.

"Master?"

"I heard everything." He then looked at the young wizard's face. "You have to learn how to deal with a woman's heart Natsu."

"A woman's…heart?" Natsu looked at his master confused. What did he mean by a "woman's heart?"

"When Gajeel & the others came back, do you know who the 1st person to notice you were gone was?"

"No."

"It was Erza."

Natsu looked at his Master surprised, "Really?"

Makarov nodded in agreement, "Yes, she wanted to find you then & there, but we convinced her to stay."

Natsu sat amazed as he continued to listen to his Master.

"That girl has been torturing herself for the past 2 days over you my boy. So much so that after Gajeel explained what had happened, she nearly tore his arm off."

"She what?"

"She didn't mean it, she was just emotional over what happened. She really cares for you Natsu."

"I know she…"

Makarov cut him off, "I don't think you do. You are the person she holds most dear above everyone else in the guild. She would do anything for you Natsu."

"But why Master? Why would Erza do that?"

"…Perhaps you should ask her yourself."

Master Makarov turned around proceeded to walk out of the door, but not before saying one last thing, "Oh, and Natsu."

"Yes Master?"

"She is on the balcony when you are ready to talk."

With those last words Master Makarov walked out of the door and returned to his room. Natsu sat alone in his room for a few minutes as he thought to himself.

_Why would Erza go so far for me? I don't really understand it. _He scratched his head in frustration.

"Raaggh! This is making my brain hurt."

He continued to ponder Erza's reasons. He thought of all the times they spent on missions with Gray, Lucy, & Happy; he thought of when they were younger, he thought of all their fights, and he thought of her rescuing him, but nothing sprang to mind.

He placed his hand on his forehead as he thought and slowly moved it until he reached his lips. Suddenly, he felt he knew the answer he was looking for. He thought of the day he & Erza spent together. He could still taste the delicious food Erza cooked, he remembered the battle they had, he could still smell her sweet scent as he continued to recall, he remembered how soft her skin was when she rubbed his face, the warmness of her nap when he lied in it, but most of all her remembered…their kiss.

He could still taste her lips on his, he never felt anything like that before. Affection like that was foreign to Natsu as he had never paid any attention to relationships, but he knew that it felt good, it felt nice. He started to blush as he thought of it more. But the blush faded when he thought back to what he said to Erza and his face began to grow sad.

_Man, I'm an idiot. Why did I say that? I have to find her, and apologize._

He rose from his bed and walked into the hall. He made his way to the balcony and to his pleasant surprise, Erza was still there. He stepped towards the balcony, but hesitated as he stepped outside.

What if she's still mad at me? I hate when Erza gets mad.

He began to think of Erza punching him hard off the balcony and his face grew white with terror.

Maybe I should wait a bit.

He turned around and tried to head back to his room.

"Natsu."

His spine shook with fear, Erza noticed he was there…there was no going back now, he made his final peace with life and answered back, his voice quaking.

"Y…Yes Erza?"

"Come here."

"Y…Yes ma'am."

He carefully walked forward until he had reached the balcony. He stood off a few feet from Erza however, trying to prolong the beating he thought was coming his way.

Erza however was calmly looking to the stars above them in the night sky. They had shined so brightly, and as Natsu looked to his right…so did Erza. It was a night just like this one where they had shared their 1st kiss. He still tried to wrap his hand around what it meant, something like that never happened to him before. He didn't really know how to process it, Igneel never taught him what these things meant. He wanted to find out and Erza had the answer, but he didn't know how to ask her.

"You can be such an idiot sometimes." Erza said as she looked into the sky, snapping Natsu's thought process. She continued speaking. "Always rushing into things headlong with no thought of strategy. Part of me lo…admires that about you, but then another part of me hates that." She then averted her gaze towards the ground below. "You never think of the consequences of what you do, and you can't afford to do that Natsu…we all care about you, I care about you. If something happened I…" she clenched her fist tight "I don't know what I would do. I mean, what am I to you?"

Natsu was speechless as she asked her question, he didn't know how to answer. Of course Erza was his friend, she had been for years; but recently things had begun to…evolve into something more and to his detriment he didn't know how to handle it. He knew he wasn't the smartest guy in the guild…but this? This made him feel like an utter child. He didn't want to make Erza sad, but he genuinely had no idea how to answer her, so he went with what he always did.

"I don't know." Despite his odd answer, he had a smile on his face

"We're friends Erza, we always will be, but lately something happens to me when I'm around you. It feels…warm, like when I use my Dragon Slayer magic. It I don't know, it covers my whole body and my stomach feels like I ate bad fish, but it doesn't feel bad." He then turned to her and scratched his head in confusion while still smiling his innocent smile "I feels nice. I like it, I want to keep feeling that way"

Erza looked up at him in astonishment, but oddly enough she wasn't angry or even disappointed. She was…content, and if she was being honest with herself, she wouldn't have expected anything different from him. She smiled softly and looked at him with a look of satisfaction. She once again had received a message that only Natsu could give, and she wouldn't want anything else.

As she smiled with her eyes closed, she felt arms wrap themselves around her, she opened her eyes and looked up to see Natsu holding her. She felt a surge of happiness as she began to blush as she stood in awe.

"You made me promise something…at the Tower of Heaven." She said to him softly

Natsu looked confused, "I did?"

Erza laughed softy, "Yes you idiot you did, after you pulled me from the Ether Nano; you made me promise to never do something like again."

"Oh yea, ha-ha, I did."

"Well, I want you to promise me something too."

Natsu once again looked confused, "Ok, what?"

She hesitated a bit but spoke in spite of herself, "I want you to promise that you will allow me to…" she wanted to say the word she was feeling, but decided to go with something Natsu would understand "to protect you for a while longer; and in turn hopefully one day you can…protect me as well, ok?" she nuzzled herself closer to him.

Natsu didn't quite understand what she was saying. _What is she talking about? Of course I'll protect her._

He opened his mouth to agree, but stopped when he thought of something better. He slowly loosened his grip on Erza, allowing her to move backwards some.

She looked surprised, "Natsu?" she then felt a warm sensation on her forehead, and she immediately smiled and blushed even more.

Natsu kissed Erza on the forehead, sealing his promise with her. Her eyes grew misty and to her surprise Natsu wiped them from her face. "Why are you crying?" he asked confused

She smiled at him, "It's nothing…fool." She laughed softly to herself. They stood outside a few more minutes as she found herself in Natsu's arms again.

"Hey Natsu, let's go back to your room; you still need to get some rest."

He looked down at her, "Heh, you're right. It is kind of cold out here."

They both nodded in agreement and turned to go back inside, holding each other's hand, Natsu blushing embarrassingly, as they walked back into Fairy Tail.

They looked at each other once more, smiling all the way as they stepped through the door way.

_I…_

_I love you Natsu. Hopefully, one day I can tell you fully._

_But for now, I can be happy like this…with you. _

…

* * *

**Part 5 done. don't know whether to continue or not, but i know i will combine this & "Warmed Blade" into one singular story (I know I probably should have did that at 1st lol) soon. Thoughts? :)**


End file.
